(English) New measures against gender violence in Bolivia.

Bolivia has one of the highest rates of gender violence, with nine in 10 women experiencing it in their lifetime

According to the UN, 35 % of women are victims of violence at some point in their lives globally. “This means more than one billion women worldwide are affected by violence,” explained Dubravka Simonovic, the UN’s Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women.

In Bolivia, however, the number is a staggering 90 %

The Bolivian government has been implementing progressive measures to address violence against women.

In 2013, the country introduced a harsher sentencing framework in cases involving violence against women, increasing the incarceration period for a felon convicted of femicide to 30 years.

Currently, the Justice Minister Virginia Velasco and the Magistrate Council are introducing a new method for fighting violence against women: to apply for public office, Bolivians now must produce a document stating that they have no criminal record of gender violence, or violence against a family member.